The goal of the Information Technology (IT) Core is to provide cutting-edge software development and computing support for MPC research projects. The large scale of MPC data projects requires sophisticated infrastructure for software development and data processing. To meet these ever-increasing demands, the IT Core must innovate continuously. In recognition of the leading role played by the IT core in developing new technology for population data infrastructure, MPC has been named a Sun Microsystems Center of Excellence in Spatiotemporal Informatics. Most funding for IT sen/ices at MPC comes from direct costs of sponsored research projects; a small percentage comes from nonsponsored and R24 funds. The R24 funding meets two essential needs. First, the grant supports equipment and services, such as shared equipment and Core administration, that benefit all MPC researchers and cannot be allocated to particular research projects. Second, R24 funds support information technology for research projects under development that do not yet have sponsored funding. Even though center grant funding represents a modest proportion of the Core budget, these funds are essential to the IT Core's effective operation.